The Frenchman – who has 22 goals and 14 assists in 27 games across all competitions this season – is set to lead the line for PSG when they face United in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tonight (8pm).

That’s because the Ligue 1 champions are without fellow star forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani due to injuries.

Mbappe has been excellent again this season after a strong first year in Paris with 21 goals and 15 assists, which he followed up with four goals for World Cup winners France in the summer, for which he was named Best Young Player of the tournament.

And while PSG are missing the other two members of their frightening attacking triumvirate, Mbappe will no doubt be a threat for a United defence which has proven vulnerable this season.

Yet Liverpool legend Nicol believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s back-line should be more comfortable with facing the 20-year-old than if he was on the right-hand side or left-hand side of the PSG attack.

Nicol told ESPN FC: “Mbappe at his best is coming from a wide position with the ball at his feet running at you.

“How you stop that guy in that position, nobody seems to have got the answer for it yet.

“The way he’s going to turn out for PSG is his back to goal, not as a target man but as the focal point of the attack.

“That’s exactly where you want this guy. You want him where you can see him, you can stop him turning on the ball.

“It’s chalk and cheese from him playing in a wide area to him playing in the middle.

“If I’m a centre-back at United, I’m not as worried right now as I would be if he was coming at me with the ball.”

And Nicol is backing United to come out on top against United at Old Trafford this evening.

He added: “It’s kind of hard to back against Man United. Apart from the fact they’re flying, PSG are in a bit of a muddle.

“The changes are all on the attacking side and in the middle of the park in the engine room.

“[Marco] Verratti is not going to be 100 per-cent fit, it looks like you’re going to have Marquinhos in there who isn’t a central midfielder.

“Your front line and your middle, there’s questions marks as to whether they’re good enough to beat United and they haven’t really played together as a unit and you’re going into a big game like this with so many questions.